On the Road

2012 / France / 124 minutes

Director:  Walter Salles
Screenplay:  Jose Rivera, based on the novel On the Road by Jack Kerouac
Starring:  Sam Riley, Garrett Hedlund, Kristen Stewart, Kirsten Dunst, Alice Braga, Amy Adams, Tom Sturridge, Viggo Mortensen
Genre:  Drama

Jack Kerouac's cult novel On the Road, published in 1957, defined what would become known as the Beat Generation, became a counter-culture touchstone and is now an acknowledged classic of American literature.

This film certainly will not become a classic, cult or otherwise, and is unlikely to become a generational touchstone.  Set in the late 1940s and early 50s, the virtually plotless narrative revolves around aspiring writer Sal Paradise (Riley) who undertakes a series of journeys with his charismatic irresponsible friend, Dean Moriarty (Hedlund).

It's well-made and always looks good, but the novel cries out for a more experimental, free-wheeling approach.  As it is, the film captures none of the verve and excitement of Kerouac's prose, thereby most of the point.  It's a well-night impossible task to make a good film of Kerouac's works because they are so dependent on literary style and technique.  As it is, it's an attractive, well-made but basically undistinguished literary adaptation.  

The film is well-acted by an impressive cast, however while he has the looks and charisma, and turns in a solid performance, Garrett Hedlund doesn't really capture the force-of-nature magneticism of Dean Moriarty.  As Moriarty's young wife, Marylou, Kristen Stewart is fantastic.

    

Horns

2013 / USA - Canada /  120 minutes

Director:  Alexandre Aja
Screenplay:  Keith Bunin, based on the novel Horns by Joe Hill
Starring:  Daniel Radcliffe, Max Minghella, Joe Anderson, Juno Temple, Kelli Garner
Genre:  horror, dark fantasy, drama

In the small American town of Gideon's Falls, Ignatius "Ig" Perrish (Radcliffe) is accused of the brutal rape and murder of his girlfriend Merrin (Temple).  Despite his repeated protestations of innocence, the townspeople are convinced of Ig's guilt.  After a night of heavy drinking, Ig wakes up to find two large horns growing out of his head.  While people can see the horns they don't appear to really notice them, but they are also compelled to confess to Ig their deepest, darkest secrets.  Ig determines to use the power of the horns to help him discover the truth behind Merrin's murder.

The film is an adaptation of the 2010 novel Horns by Joe Hill, and sticks relatively close to the source.  The story moves back and forth in time shifting from the present day narrative to Ig and Merrin's youth and the growth of their relationship.  Several elements of the film may be too bizarre for some audiences to accept, but I enjoyed it.  It's less of a conventional horror movie and more of a darkly satirical religious crime drama.  The performances are superb, with Daniel Radcliffe in particular fantastic as the complex, troubled Ig Perrish.      

Grindhouse

2007 / USA/  190 minutes

Director:  Robert Rodriguez and Quentin Tarantino
Screenplay:  Robert Rodriguez and Quentin Tarantino
Starring:  Rose McGowan, Kurt Russell, Freddy Rodriguez, Rosario Dawson, Michael Biehn, Josh Brolin, Marley Shelton, Mary Elizabeth Winstead
Genre:  Action, horror, crime, science-fiction

This film is a homage to the world of "grindhouse" cinema.  Grindhouses were cinemas that specialised in low-budget exploitation films in the 1970s.  The movies they showed were usually not very good quality and often released in damaged prints, and they were often shown in double bills are all night marathons.  Here we have what you might be letting yourself in for at a double feature at the grindhouse.

The program kicks off with Planet Terror, directed by Robert Rodriguez, in which the residents of a small Texan town struggle to survive against a virus which turns people into hideous, flesh-eating zombie like monsters.  Next up is Death Proof, directed by Quentin Tarantino, in which women are pursued by a psychopathic stuntman who kills his victims with a customised "death proof" stunt car.  To add to the fun, the films are preceded by trailers for fake movies:  Machete (which did become a feature film in 2010), Werewolf Women of the SS, directed by Rob Zombie, a homage to the Nazi exploitation sub-genre,  Don't, directed by Edgar Wright, a tribute to the Hammer Horror films, and Thanksgiving, directed by Eli Roth, a tribute to the holiday themed slasher movie sub-genre.

It's a very entertaining show, and certainly full of action, however the excessive violence and callousness, as well as the plot holes and bizarre quality of the films will not be to everyone's taste.  The film is made to look like a grindhouse show, including scratched film, washed out colours, missing reels, out of focus images, and at several points the film seemingly burning up in the projector, which adds to the authenticity, but at times does become quite irritating.

Grindhouse underperformed at the US box office and so Planet Terror and Death Proof were released internationally in extended versions as separate stand alone movies.